Amnesty International has urged Madagascar to revoke a recent law permitting the chemical and surgical castration of individuals convicted of raping minors, labelling it “cruel, inhuman, and degrading.”
President Andry Rajoelina proposed amendments to the penal code last month, introducing chemical and surgical castration as penalties for those found guilty of raping minors. These amendments have since been approved by Members of Parliament.
Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty’s regional director for east and southern Africa, expressed concern over the new law in a statement, emphasising that rape cases in Madagascar are often under-reported, leading to perpetrators evading punishment due to fear of retaliation, stigma, and a lack of trust in the judicial system.
Chagutah argued that implementing chemical and surgical castration as punishment for raping minors would not address the root causes of the issue and would violate Malagasy constitutional provisions against torture and other forms of ill-treatment, as well as regional and international human rights standards.